3rd British Infantry Division on D-Day
The British 3rd Infantry Division
was given the task of attacking Sword Beach, the five-mile stretch of
beach that ran eastward from town of Lion-sur-Mer to the city of
Ouistreham. This area was studded with vacation homes and dwellings
located behind a large seawall. Nine miles behind Sword Beach lay the
important city of Caen, a primary objective of the Allied Forces. All
of the major roads in this sector of the invasion front ran through
Caen, making the city a key for both the Allies and the Germans. Also,
the River Orne and Caen Canal ran southward from the eastern edge of
the sector. Two strategically important bridges over these waterways
were to be taken by units from the British 6th Airborne Division.
Link-up with the airborne troopers was another primary objective of the
3rd Division.
The units from the 3rd Division,
with attached British and French commandos, touched down on Sword Beach
at 0725 on the morning of June 6. Scattered resistance met the troops
as they came ashore. In some sectors the fire was intense; in others,
it was more moderate. Quick advances were made inland and by 1300, Lord
Lovat's commandos made contact with the British paratroopers holding
the bridges over the River Orne and Caen Canal. Later in the afternoon,
units from the 21st Panzer Division, one of the few German panzer
divisions in the invasion area, launched counterattacks against the
3rd. The Germans were eventually able to penetrate to the beach, but
were quickly beaten back with anti-tank weapons, air strikes and Allied
tanks.
By the end of the day,
approximately 29,000 troops had made it ashore on Sword Beach with the
cost of 630 casualties. The link-up with the 6th Airborne had
solidified the eastern flank of the invasion area, although the
important city of Caen was still in German hands. The town fell in
early July, after an extensive and costly campaign.
For more information about the 3rd British Infantry Division:
3rd Division on D-Day - A site from War Chronicle with huge amounts of information about the 3rd Division's role in D-Day.
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